Collecting quantitative data to support geological analysis and modelling is nowadays a fundamental requirement in all geology disciplines, including structural geology, stratigraphy, and geomorphology, on the Earth and on planetary bodies of the Solar System. In many cases the answer to this need is a Digital Outcrop Model (DOM), a Digital Elevation Model  (DEM), or a Shape Model (SM): this can be a digital representation of an outcrop or topographic surface, or of a whole small body (asteroid or comet nucleus) for an SM, generally combined with imagery, that can be quantitatively visualized andstudied in 3D, with the goal of obtaining quantitative measurements.

In the past decade, 3D reflection seismology has replaced 2D seismology almost entirely in the seismic industry. Recording 3D surveys has become the norm instead of the exception. The application of 2D seismology is limited mostly to reconnaissance surveys or to locations where recording 3D data is still prohibitively expensive, such as in rough mountains and wild forests. However, academic research and teaching have struggled to keep up with the 3D revolution. As a consequence of this tardiness, no books are available that introduce the theory of seismic imaging from the 3D perspective. This book is aimed at filling the gap.

Editorial for Special Issue “3D/4D Geological Modeling for Mineral Exploration”

Xiumei Lv, Wangdong Yang, Xiaoning Liu and Gongwen Wang Applications of Radial Basis Functional Link Networks in the Exploration for Lala Copper Deposits in Sichuan Province, China

Baoyi Zhang, Yongqiang Tong, Jiangfeng Du, Shafqat Hussain, Zhengwen Jiang and Shahzad Ali et al. Three-Dimensional Structural Modeling (3D SM) and Joint Geophysical Characterization (JGC) of Hydrocarbon Reservoir

Zhifei Liu, Ling Zuo, Senmin Xu, Yaqing He, Chunyi Wang and Luofeng Wang et al. 3D Multi-Parameter Geological Modeling and Knowledge Findings for Mo Oxide Orebodies in the Shangfanggou Porphyry–Skarn Mo (–Fe) Deposit, Henan Province, China